Diego Velázquez (soldier)

Diego Velázquez (soldier) (1465?-1524?), Spanish soldier, colonial administrator, and conquerer of Cuba, born in Cuéllar. In 1493 he accompanied Christopher Columbus on his second voyage to the New World and participated in the conquest of Hispaniola. In 1511 he was sent by Diego Columbus, the explorer's son, to conquer Cuba. Velázquez conquered the entire island by 1514 and soon thereafter severed connections with Diego Columbus, declaring himself governor of Cuba. Among the many towns founded by Velázquez were Baracoa, Havana, and Santiago de Cuba. In 1517 he organized the expedition that began the Spanish exploration of Yucatán, and in 1519 he sent Hernán Cortés to investigate reports about the Aztec Empire in Mexico. The following year he ordered Cortés to return. When Cortés refused, he sent an expedition to arrest him; Cortés defeated the expedition and went on to conquer the Aztecs for himself.